Body after Baby: Ashley

Please read the disclaimer at the bottom of this post!

Have you been reading the Body after Baby guest posts? You can read posts, product reviews, and even enter the fitness giveaway HERE.

Hello! I’m Ashley from Weighing My Options, and I am a first time mommy to a beautiful little princess. I am currently 4 months post baby and under pre baby weight. How did I do it?

There are no weight loss secrets, no simple diet pills to take, no drink a shake for breakfast, lunch and dinner recipe. It takes time and work. I know that being a new mom, you can feel exhausted. There are days that all you want to do is sit on the couch, holding your little one and sleep while they sleep. I’ve been there too! Those are the days that I push myself. I push myself to move. I push myself to make sure I’m eating enough calories to keep my body going. I push myself to drink water…and water…and some more water!

I can’t say that every day since the day she was born; I have been eating healthy, and pushing myself to move. I took my bad days and turned them into motivation. Motivation I need to make sure (even though she is only 4 months old) I am setting a good example.

In order to make sure I am doing everything I can in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle, I plan. I know sometimes this is easier said than done. I personally am a BIG planner. I love lists and routines.

Here’s how I plan:
Friday and Saturdays are usually to make a menu up for the week.
Sundays are grocery store days.
Sundays and Mondays are used for meal prep. (Sometimes that consists of cooking meals at 10pm)

I feel like if I didn’t plan out a menu for the week, or prep food for the week, I wouldn’t be able to eat a healthy lifestyle.

I will share one of my favorite breakfast recipes:

Egg Muffins:
Ingredients:
-8 to 10 eggs
-green pepper (cut into small pieces)
-1/8c of shredded cheese (more or less to your taste)
-1/2c of baby spinach leaves (cut into small pieces)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.
Spray muffin pan with non stick spray.
Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl until well mixed.
Pour into muffin pan (filling about ½ full).
Bake for about 15-20 mins.

These will keep in the fridge for about a week. Pull out one or two every morning to enjoy, and you have a healthy and quick breakfast. Some weeks I also make a large pot of oatmeal and divide it into smaller bowls so all I have to do is heat and eat.

Lunches usually consist of sandwiches and salads. I pre-make the salads also a week in advance and use mason jars to store them. Have you ever made Mason Jar Salads?

Dinners are Crock-Pot dinners or pre-made meals that I have prepped for the week.

How do you find the time and energy to move during the day, you might ask. I have a gym membership that helps to keep me motivated, because I know that if I am not using that, I am just wasting money I could be using to buy my little princess more pretty clothes, um…I mean put towards “needs.” But you don’t need to have a gym membership to get yourself moving!! Take your little one for a walk. I use a pedometer during the day to make sure I am getting 10,000 steps a day (which equals about 5 miles!!!). Also, I have used Pinterest to find different at-home workouts I can do that take no more than 20 mins, so while little one is taking her cat nap, momma gets a workout in quick.

I am blessed to be able to be a SAHM/Home Daycare Provider, but I know that there are many moms that need to work outside the home. Some ideas to get moving if you’re working outside the home, take a walk around the office. Set your alarm for once an hour and walk to the bathroom and back, stand up while you’re on the phone and march in place. You may seem silly doing it, but you’re moving and moving burns calories.

Just some important things to remember:
-Water is our friend! Add lemon, lime, frozen fruit to it to add flavor.
-Track your food and exercise.
-Walk.
-Listen to your body.
-Prep Meals.
-Cut out processed meals; make your own.
-Try a new recipe/food each week.
-Involve the children to help with meal prep (if they are able too).

Just remember that we are all humans; we need to listen to our bodies. There will be days that the cravings get the best of us. There will be days where the nap wins out. There will be days that you think it’s easier to just eat whatever you want and you will start tomorrow. Well, tomorrow is today. Why not start now? Don’t give up, because you are worth it!

Track your food and exercise. Make yourself accountable for everything that you eat. I am on Lose It (smltwngrl920) if you want to start there; add me, and we can keep each other accountable. (The app is amazing!!! – shameless plug!)

If you want to keep up with me and my journey, you can follow me on twitter (@smltwngrl920), pinterest (smltwngrl920), and my blog. I hope that each and everyone of you realizes that you can do this. You are worth it. Your health is worth it, and being able to see our babies grow up is definitely worth it.

Do you make meals ahead of time? What are your tips for preparing healthy meals for your family?

Disclaimer: All information presented during this event is purely personal opinion and shared for educational purposes only. The information contained herein is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult your physician before beginning any exercise, weight-loss, or nutrition program. Please note, My Life: A Work in Progress does not necessarily endorse any opinions presented by guest writers during this event. Not all exercise or nutrition programs are suitable for everyone.

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Body after Baby: Lindsay

Please read the disclaimer at the bottom of this post!

Have you been reading the Body after Baby guest posts? You can read posts, product reviews, and even enter the fitness giveaway HERE.

Body after Baby- Lindsay's story
Courtesy Photo

GUEST WRITER BIO: I live in a family of four consisting of myself, my husband Wilson (who we call Willie), and our two sons, Joshua and Gabriel. I would say to sum up my title, I am a full-time everything! I work full time, used to go to school full time but needed to put that on the back burner ’til hubby returned from his deployment to Afghanistan, and most importantly I am a full time…all the time mother (that is my fav job of all). I am for sure kept busy and even more so this past year since I am went solo on this mommy thing, but life couldn’t get any better or chaotic, and that is my little family!!

I could talk so much more about my family life, but then I would be writing a novel…that would never end, so if you are interested in my insanity, come follow me on Facebook, Lindsay Carrasquillo (yeah, I am the only white girl with that last name so you should have no problem finding me)! 

Hello, beautiful ladies that are reading this post! I’m so excited to guest post about this amazing and yet sometimes devastating subject…my body after baby!

How I coped with my body after baby…I learned to embrace the line, “It took you nine months to put on the weight, so you have to give it at least 9 months to take it off.” Ladies, that is a horrible but mostly accurate statement! There will be many women that shed their baby weight off quite fast; for them I applaud them, I envy them, and then I call them a heifer behind closed doors! I love to see those women lose the weight so quickly, because it is absolutely motivating and empowering to see. I, however, still have weight to lose from my pregnancy that was three years ago! I’m definitely not perfect, nor did I try the way I should have to lose the weight after I had my son Gabriel.

I can say I did desire to lose the weight, and I did try, but I have to be honest, I’m married to a Puerto Rican man, and he does not like me really skinny, and he wants rice cooked like daily! So there were so many times that I just threw in the towel so to speak on trying new diets, since I was always the one cooking dinner at my house, and I just couldn’t justify wasting perfectly good dinner I cooked in lieu of a healthy salad.

When I did get started on my journey to lose weight, we were able to afford for me to go to the gym (I must also say that there were many other times that we could not afford a gym membership). I would go a lot, because I chose an all women’s gym nearby where I live that offers child care.

My husband is in the military, so that means he was gone a lot! I had to be somewhere that offered childcare or else there was no workout. I loved the gym and went often, but it wasn’t the same for me; not like it had been prior to having my son. I too was in the Army and chose to get out when my eight years of service was over with. I couldn’t see myself having to leave our children to go on a year-long deployment. When our son was very young, it was much easier to work out, as I could put him in his swing, bassinet etc., and I could work out with nothing stopping me. Now however, that would be impossible! Funny thing my son does, every time I want to work out, if I’m doing sit ups, he usually sits on top of me which makes it impossible for me to continue! Especially is he is bouncing along on top of my stomach! It is fun but also challenging with children running around you, while you’re trying to get a workout in. So I usually try to work out either very early in the morning, or after I put my youngest son to bed.

When I was able to have a gym membership, I enjoyed participating in free classes that were offered through the gym, such as Zumba, ab core classes, step class, some yoga, Pilates, and using the weights. The days that I could not or probably (I dread saying/admitting this) did not want to go to the gym, I would get out and walk with my son in his stroller. I love our community that we live in. Our subdivision is pretty nice, but to venture out into the community is so refreshing, and it also offers a pretty view as well. I started to really push myself when I went on walks; at first only going for about 30 minutes, but then after about a week of that I would go much longer than just 30 minutes. I would just walk until I got tired. I then began to get resourceful, and if I needed something from the store, if it was just a few items, I would walk to the store rather than drive and buy whatever I needed, store it in the undertow holder on my son’s stroller and continue on home.

Body after Baby- Lindsay's story
Courtesy Photo

Walking, jogging, or even riding a bike outside is something that is so relaxing and healthy to do. I know have a workout buddy, a neighbor and close friend of mine that has committed herself to losing weight and changing her eating habits to healthier choices. I am all about trying new “diets” as some people call them, but one thing I always try to focus on is that it isn’t so much a diet, but healthier choices of foods to eat. Some people call it a diet, because I don’t always fully commit to eating healthy daily……still quite a work in progress on that. Something that isn’t new to me but what I am planning to eliminate from my daily consumption is carbonated beverages. I did eliminate carbonated beverages before (my drug of choice…Coca Cola), and I had very quick, obvious results immediately after discontinuing drinking anything carbonated.

I strongly believe that you can set a goal and achieve it. Nobody should tell you otherwise of that, but sadly our own worst critic is usually ourselves. I think the most important thing to remember about your body after having a baby is to be so proud of yourself! Having a baby takes a tremendous amount of energy, strength, compassion and so much more. Babies are miracles that we helped to create, so to hate your body after having a baby is almost the equivalent of condemning yourself for having a beautiful blessing from God! How blessed are the women that are able to carry a little miracle inside of them for such a short period of time! I know I still have some weight to lose from my pregnancy, and some major toning, but I’m working towards it and stay positive that one day I will be back to pre-pregnancy weight, and my goals are to surpass the health I once had and strive to be that much more healthier as well as be an example to my family! I applaud anyone who has read these posts about Body after Baby, and I pray that you overcome any and all obstacles that will be put in your way and that you find comfort in the body you were blessed with! Set a goal, and work your butt off to achieve it! The more you push yourself in the positive direction, the closer you will be to obtaining your goal!

Disclaimer: All information presented during this event is purely personal opinion and shared for educational purposes only. The information contained herein is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult your physician before beginning any exercise, weight-loss, or nutrition program. Please note, My Life: A Work in Progress does not necessarily endorse any opinions presented by guest writers during this event. Not all exercise or nutrition programs are suitable for everyone.

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Giveaway: Body after Baby ($60), 10/28-11/3

Body after Baby Giveaway Event 10/28/13-11/3/13 on My Life: A Work in Progress

 Welcome to the Body after Baby Giveaway!

The “Body after Baby” fitness event kicked off October 21 and runs into November. If you haven’t read them yet, you can see the guest posts and reviews HERE. Writers have included the creator of The Babywearing Workout, a personal trainer and fitness model, a Zumba instructor, and more. What do all these women have in common? They’re all mothers!

For this giveaway, one winner (US resident) will receive the following awesome prizes to help them on their fitness journey:

  • Two sample tins of ENERGYbits® and SKINNYbits® ($10+)
  • A Sweaty Band ($15)
  • An e-coupon to Road ID ($35)
The Prizes:

*ENERGYbits® & SKINNYbits®

Made with 100 percent organically-grown spirulina algae, ENERGYbits® and SKINNYbits® are small bits of food loaded with 40 nutrients. With just one calorie per tab, they have an exceptionally high concentration of protein. Considered a superfood by many, spirulina algae has even been endorsed by the United Nations as a means to fight malnutrition. Both types of bits can increase your energy and endurance, curb hunger, and even more. Read my review HERE.

SKINNYbits® and ENERGYbits® are only available at ENERGYbits.com. Jonathan (their brand manager) has shared with me that he’d be happy to connect anyone with a current ambassador to share a discount on a bag of bits. You can email him at jlevitt@energybits.com.

*Sweaty Bands-

With their no-slip design, these American-made headbands stay put, no matter the task. Running, yoga, golfing, aerobics, and even skydiving have all put Sweaty Bands to the test, with these trendy and colorful bands coming out on top. Sweaty Bands are available in dozens of prints, patterns, and colors. Read my review HERE

*Road ID-

Launched in 1999, RoadID.com provides identification products for runners, cyclists, triathlete, or anyone with an active lifestyle. Current products include variations of the Wrist ID, the Shoe ID, the Ankle ID, and even high visibility gear to keep you safe. Customize your ID to feature things like your name, emergency contacts, blood type, and anything you’d like first responders to know in an emergency. Read my review HERE.

The Giveaway:

If you agree to the Terms & Conditions listed at the bottom of this post, enter to win using the Giveaway Tools form below.

Terms & Conditions: Sweepstakes open to residents of the US. Must be 18 years or older. Void where prohibited by law. Two entrants allowed per household. Odds of winning depend on total number of eligible entries received. Once winner has been selected and emailed, winner will have 48 hours to respond or new winner will be selected. Winner’s name may be posted on this blog and other social media and Web sites. My Life: A Work in Progress (MLAWP) and participating blogs are not responsible for prize fulfillment, with the exception of the Sweaty Band. MLAWP will ship Sweaty Band to winner. Sweepstakes not associated with Facebook or any other social media platform. Entrance into the sweepstakes indicates acceptance of these terms and conditions.

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